Wood Sorrel Pesto
Wood sorrel pesto is the perfect way to bring a wild, fresh touch to your meals. It has a bright lemony flavor from the fresh wood sorrel leaves, balanced by the creamy earthiness of hazelnuts and the salty umami in fresh grated parmesan.
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup Marcona almonds or hazelnuts or other nuts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 cups wood sorrel leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup grated Parmesan firmly packed
Instructions
- In a food processor (or using a mortar and pestle), process the hazelnuts and salt until finely ground. Add the garlic and process until the mixture is uniform.
- Add the wood sorrel, about ½ cup at a time, processing until finely ground.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency.
- Stir in the lemon zest and grated Parmesan. Season with salt to taste, if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. It’ll keep about 1 week in the fridge, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Notes
Traditional pesto recipes often use pine nuts, but we’ve swapped them out for either hazelnuts or Marcona almonds in this recipe.
Hazelnuts add a slightly sweeter, more earthy flavor, which beautifully complements the tartness of the wood sorrel. They also bring a bit more texture to the pesto, offering a satisfying crunch that pairs perfectly with the smoothness of the olive oil and the creaminess of the Parmesan.
Marcona almonds are a bit more expensive, but they have a more neutral flavor, without the earthy/woodsy flavor you get from hazelnuts.
I've used both with great results.
Honestly, feel free to use whatever nuts you have on hand. Pine nuts work wonderfully for a neutral flavor, though they're often a bit pricey. Good substitutes are sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and cashews. All add a wonderful creaminess and body to the finished pesto, though hazelnuts do work exceptionally well with wood sorrel in particular.
Nutrition
Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 0.2mg